In August, the SD Waalo has been commissioned and began her maiden voyage to Dakar, Senegal, where she has been chartered with 3 other vessels for a long-term contract, by bp Senegal and Mauritania. The vessels will support LNG tanker berthing at bp’s GTA hub offshore St. Louis.

The SD WAALO, built by Uzmar ( Koceali, Turkey) is a twin Z drive RASTAR 3200, state-of-the-art, high-speed diesel-powered terminal support/escort tug. It was designed by renowned firm Robert Allan Ltd. for maximum efficiency in ship handling and related terminal support duties. The other 3 vessels will be delivered during Q2 2025.

Specification:

• Length Overall (LOA): 32.0 meters
• Break Horsepower (BHP): 6,866 BHP
• Bollard Pull (BP): 82.9 tonnes
• FiFi System: FiFi 1 with Water Spray
• Oil Recovery: Second-line oil recovery system
• Communication: GMDSS-Area 3 Navigation Equipment / Starlink
• Accommodation: 10 Persons

bp has invited all shareholders and partners in this project to suggest names for the vessels, and the chosen name, SD Waalo, holds special significance. ‘SD’ refers to ‘Sturn Drive,’ while ‘Waalo’ represents the historic border region between Senegal and Mauritania, an area of deep geographical and cultural importance. The Kingdome of Waalo, where Wolof was the traditional language, was located on the lower reaches of the Senegal River in West Africa. This Kingdom spanned both present-day Senegal and Mauritania and included parts of the Senegal River valley, extending to the Atlantic Ocean.